assimilate

[ verb uh-sim-uh-leyt; noun uh-sim-uh-lit, -leyt ]

/ verb əˈsɪm əˌleɪt; noun əˈsɪm ə lɪt, -ˌleɪt /

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verb (used with object), as·sim·i·lat·ed, as·sim·i·lat·ing.

to take in and incorporate as one's own; absorb: He assimilated many new experiences on his European trip.

to bring into conformity with the customs, attitudes, etc., of a group, nation, or the like; adapt or adjust: to assimilate the new immigrants.

Physiology. to convert (food) to substances suitable for incorporation into the body and its tissues.

to cause to resemble (usually followed by to or with).

to compare; liken (usually followed by to or with).

Phonetics. to modify by assimilation.

verb (used without object), as·sim·i·lat·ed, as·sim·i·lat·ing.

to be or become absorbed.

to conform or adjust to the customs, attitudes, etc., of a group, nation, or the like: The new arrivals assimilated easily and quickly.

Physiology. (of food) to be converted into the substance of the body; be absorbed into the system.

to bear a resemblance (usually followed by to or with).

Phonetics. to become modified by assimilation.

noun

something that is assimilated.

Nearby words

assigned sex, assignee, assignment, assignor, assimilable, assimilate, assimilation, assimilationism, assimilative, assiniboin, assiniboine

Origin of assimilate

1570–80; < Latin assimilātus likened to, made like (past participle of assimilāre), equivalent to as- as- + simil- (see similar) + -ātus -ate¹

Related forms

as·sim·i·la·tor, nounnon·as·sim·i·lat·ing, adjectivere·as·sim·i·late, verb, re·as·sim·i·lat·ed, re·as·sim·i·lat·ing.un·as·sim·i·lat·ed, adjective

un·as·sim·i·lat·ing, adjectivewell-as·sim·i·lat·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for assimilating

There are no easy solutions to assimilating refugees into a solid culture.
The Ugly Side of Sweden|Janine di Giovanni|July 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
We know a thing only by uniting with it; by assimilating it; by an interpenetration of it and ourselves.
Practical Mysticism|Evelyn Underhill
Capacity for assimilating the public taste and reproducing it, is the commonest.
Diana of the Crossways, Complete|George Meredith
It is this foreign element that makes our population what it is,—an assimilating, and yet an unassimilated mass.
Nature and Culture|Harvey Rice

Historical truth is reached by balancing everything, and not by assimilating that which easily suits.
Christopher Columbus and How He Received and Imparted the Spirit of Discovery|Justin Winsor
The assimilating capacity of an industrial organization can be greatly increased by any scheme that awakens an interest.
Industrial Progress and Human Economics|James Hartness

British Dictionary definitions for assimilating

assimilate

/ (əˈsɪmɪˌleɪt) /

verb

(tr) to learn (information, a procedure, etc) and understand it thoroughly

(tr) to absorb (food) and incorporate it into the body tissues

(intr) to become absorbed, incorporated, or learned and understood

(usually foll by into or with) to bring or come into harmony; adjust or become adjustedthe new immigrants assimilated easily

(usually foll by to or with) to become or cause to become similar

(usually foll by to) phonetics to change (a consonant) or (of a consonant) to be changed into another under the influence of one adjacent to it(n) often assimilates to ŋ before (k), as in ``include''

Derived Forms

assimilable, adjectiveassimilably, adverbassimilation, nounassimilative or assimilatory, adjective

assimilator, nounassimilatively, adverb

Word Origin for assimilate

C15: from Latin assimilāre to make one thing like another, from similis like, similar

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for assimilating

assimilate

early 15c., from Latin assimilatus "feigned, pretended, fictitious," past participle of assimilare "to make like," from ad- "to" (see ad-) + simulare "make similar," from similis "like, resembling" (see similar). Originally transitive (with to); intransitive use first recorded 1837. Related: Assimilated; assimilating.

Medicine definitions for assimilating

assimilate

[ ə-sĭm′ə-lāt′ ]

v.

To consume and incorporate nutrients into the body after digestion.

To transform food into living tissue by the process of anabolism.

assimilate

verb (used with object), as·sim·i·lat·ed, as·sim·i·lat·ing.

verb (used without object), as·sim·i·lat·ed, as·sim·i·lat·ing.

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of assimilate

Examples from the Web for assimilating

British Dictionary definitions for assimilating

assimilate

verb

Word Origin for assimilate

Word Origin and History for assimilating

assimilate

Medicine definitions for assimilating

assimilate

v.